


Infrangible

by ShimmeringBubble



Series: ITSV Soulmates [2]
Category: Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Certain elements inspired by Insomniac SM Games, Father-Son Relationship, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Light Angst, Platonic Soulmates, Poisoning, Self-Indulgent, Some Gwen Stacy/Miles Morales, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Whump, spider-fam
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-03-02
Packaged: 2021-03-13 17:01:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29281908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShimmeringBubble/pseuds/ShimmeringBubble
Summary: In which Miles and Peter B. navigate the twists and turns of being platonic soulmates.Sequel to “Inexorable,” An Into the Spider-Verse Platonic Soulmate AU.
Relationships: Miles Morales & Peter B. Parker, Miles Morales/Gwen Stacy
Series: ITSV Soulmates [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2152059
Comments: 8
Kudos: 28





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick refresher from the last fic:
> 
> Left arm is for platonic marks, right arm is for romantic marks.

It was a typical afternoon in New York. Bustling streets, blaring horns, lively sounds, _raging rhinos-_

Ok, the last one should not have been quite so typical. Nevertheless, it was pretty typical for Spider-Man to deal with the Crazy of the week—and that was if he was lucky, and it wasn’t the Crazy of the _day_ —so Peter couldn’t really complain.

”ALEKSEI! ANY CHANCE YOU MIGHT WANT TO THROWDOWN SOMEWHERE LESS CONGESTED? THIS CAN’T BE GOOD FOR RUSH HOUR!” He yelled, flipping away from a thick piece of cement that hurled toward him.

Rhino didn’t seem to be in the mood for Peter’s quips, merely bellowing in irritation and charging the spider.

The lenses of Peter’s mask narrowed as he calculated the timing of his next maneuver before executing it. He launched into the air just as Rhino’s horn came within a few feet of impaling him, twisting in mid-air to cling to the criminal’s enormous back.

He wrapped his legs around Rhino’s neck, reaching down and webbing up his eyes while twisting his neck to the right. The goal was to steer the brute into the empty building to his right.

”This ain’t my first rodeo, y’know!” He called as they barreled toward the building. He almost thought it had worked, before Rhino surprised him by _actually using his brain._

Rhino skidded to a halt, grabbing Peter’s left leg in a crushing grip and blindly hurling him away. Peter let out a loud “Oof” as he barely stopped himself from face-planting into the pavement by shooting out two stabilizing webs.

Aleksei gave him no time to recover, his spider-sense screaming as he turned to see a small delivery truck being hurled at him.

Peter stretched out his arms, barely catching it before it crushed him. He groaned. Damn, if this job didn’t just suck the life out of you sometimes-

”Hey.”

Peter blinked in surprise as the weight of the truck was halved, jerking his head to the left with wide lenses. He couldn’t quite stop the grin that spread across his face.

This damn kid.

Miles was supporting the truck right next to him, tilting his chin in an informal greeting. Miles heaved the truck forward, Peter following suit as they rolled it off their shoulders and sent it to the ground.

”Hey, I had that handled y’know!”

”Yeah, sure,” Peter just _knew_ that Miles had that teasing smirk under his mask. “Is that why my mark showed you getting the crap beaten out of you?”

Peter raised a finger, about to argue, when the rumbling of thunderous footsteps cut him off. Both spiders turned. Peter groaned in annoyance. Right. Aleksei.

”Is it the weekend yet? I could really use a break,” The older spider complained.

”Almost,” Miles replied. “Just gotta finish up this one more project.” He gestured to Rhino, who was coming toward them.

”I didn’t know it was ‘bring your spiderling to work’ day!” Aleksei chortled, sneering at Miles.

”Ok, first of all? Your jokes suck, man. Second of all? I’m about to show you exactly what this ‘spiderling’ can do to kick your ass.”

”Language, kiddo,” Peter said, sizing up their opponent. “But yeah. Let’s kick his ass.”

He fired two webs, pulling back on them with all his might and slingshotting toward Aleksei. Just as he hoped, the Rhino anticipated that he would collide with his chest, raising his fists in preparation to strike.

Instead, Peter released his initial webs and fired a different line, swinging neatly between Rhino’s legs, almost kissing the pavement.

He swiveled as he landed, facing Rhino, who turned his back on Miles.

Peter smirked under his mask. _Big_ mistake there.

The younger spider used his mentor’s distraction, launching onto Aleksei’s back and wrapping his legs around his neck just like Peter had earlier. Instead of trying to temporarily blind his opponent, however, he stuck his hands directly on Aleksei’s exposed face and sent a jolt of bioelectricity through him.

The behemoth yelled in shock (ha) as he fell to his knees, Miles’ attack effectively incapacitating him.

Peter took the opportunity to rush forward, sending a finishing blow to Aleksei’s face, knocking him out cold. Peter huffed in relief, glad he had insulated the gloves of his suit. It would kinda suck if he got zapped by Miles’ venom attack.

The younger spider slipped off his opponent, landing nimbly next to his mentor. He offered his right fist, which Peter bumped with a chuckle.

”Another win for the spiders.”

———

”Dios mío, Miles, I swear you get later and later every Friday,” his mother chided him when he appeared at the dinner table with an apologetic smile and a voracious appetite.

”Sorry, ma,” he replied, sliding into his seat and digging in to the delicious chili and stew. “I was busy helping Peter with something.”

”Peter? Is he one of your friends from school?” 

Miles froze, trying not to cringe as he realized his slip-up. Damn. His parents weren’t supposed to know-

”Uh, kinda,” He answered vaguely, resuming his eating and hoping they hadn’t noticed his awkward pause.

”’Kinda’? What does that mean?” His dad raised a brow.

Of _course_ they noticed.

”Um, we didn’t exactly meet at school,” He tried to reply casually.

”How did you meet, then?”

”Jeff, Mi Amor, this is not an interrogation. Let him enjoy his dinner.”

”It’s not an interrogation! I’m just making chit chat. Y’know, finding out about the kind of people he’s been meeting.”

Miles made a face. “I haven’t been hanging around any bad people, dad.”

”Oh yeah, I know, I know. Though sometimes you and I disagree on what counts as ‘bad’ or not.”

Miles groaned. “Peter’s like, one of the most reasonable people I know. He’s not a criminal or something, ok? He’s super trustworthy.

“Sometimes people can _seem_ trustworthy at first-“

”Oh my gosh, dad,” Miles groaned. “He’s my Left! Of course I trust him.” The impact of the words struck him, and he _actually_ cringed this time.

 _That_ shut them up.

”Miles, you found your soulmate?” Rio breathed, staring at her son in shock.

Miles cringed a little, coiling into himself a bit. “Uh...yeah? Kinda?”

His mother shot him a look.

”Ok, sorry,” he sighed. “Yes.”

”Why didn’t you tell us?” Rio asked gently. “This is something to celebrate. We’d love to meet him.”

Miles blinked. _Meet_ him? As in gather his parents and Peter in the same room, try to pretend that he wasn’t an alternate reality’s version of their dead Spider-Man and make _small talk_?

”Uh, I don’t know,” Miles said hesitantly. “He’s kinda busy, like, all the time.”

”Doing what?”

Miles resisted the urge to bang his head into the table at his father’s continued suspicion. “Working,” He replied with a look.

”I’d imagine he’s older than you, right?” Rio asked. 

”Yep. Got a 23 year age difference.”

”Oh my,” Rio laughed a little nervously. “Well, it should be interesting when we eventually get to meet him. Right, Jeff?”

”Yes, I’m sure it’ll be very interesting,” His father replied.

Miles tried to keep his internal screaming to a minimum.

———

”You want me to do _what?_ ”

Miles sighed. “Look, I’m not thrilled about it either. But they’re gonna just keep hounding me until they get to meet you. Dad’s imagining that you’re some kinda criminal and mom is already kinda hurt that I didn’t tell them about you right away.” He paused, staring at his mentor imploringly. “Just one dinner, just to get them off my back?”

”You do realize I look exactly like a very famous dead guy in your dimension, right?”

”Well, I wouldn’t say _exactly-_ ”

”-AND that I share the same name and eerily similar backstory? We’d have to fabricate an entire fake identity for me, and I’m not sure I can pull that off. Especially if it means lying directly to your parents. You see where I’m coming from here?”

” _Yes,_ and I’m not happy about it either! We don’t have to outright lie about everything, though. Just kinda...avoid the truth.” Miles paused, hesitating for a moment before continuing. “Plus... I wouldn't necessarily mind introducing you to them. I mean meeting your Left is kinda a big deal. The only reason I haven’t told them before now was ‘cause of the whole Spider-Man thing.”

Peter groaned. “The things you ask me to do, kid.”

Miles waited with baited breath, staring at Peter imploringly.

Peter studied Miles’ sincere expression, already knowing that he couldn’t say no. ”...Fine. But only the barest minimum of lies! I’m not really the best actor.”

”Maybe you could get MJ to give you some lessons,” Miles couldn’t help but tease as he beamed.

”Don’t push it, bud. I’m barely agreeing to this as it is.”

———

Miles shot his mom a text asking if it would work for Peter to meet them tonight, and she quickly agreed.

The two spiders spent some time scheming up the details of Peter’s pretend identity. Peter would go by the last name Watson, a fact that he swore he did _not_ fluster at, despite Miles’ elbowing. He would still claim to work at the Bugle, just obviously not as a staff photographer.

They agreed to meet at Miles’ home at 6:00pm.

”See you then,” Miles told Peter as he reopened his portal. “Just make sure you’re wearing matching shoes this time!”

”That was one time! I was stranded in a different dimension-“

Miles disappeared through the portal with a laugh.

—

He tried not to be nervous as he watched his mom cook up a storm in the kitchen, trying his best to be helpful by doling out ingredients and setting the table.

”I’m so glad Peter is able to come so soon,” Ms. Morales called over the hissing of vegetables cooking in the pan she was stirring. “Do you see him often?”

”Uh, we haven’t known each other that long,” Miles called back, remembering the script he was supposed to follow. “Only met a few weeks ago. But yeah, we’ve gotten to known each other pretty well. He helps me out with some of my homework, actually.”

Rio hummed in acknowledgement, cringing as a few drops of the oil splashed out from the pan. “I’m sure you’ll tell us all about it tonight.”

”Yep, that’s the plan.”

Peter showed up at 5:55, awkwardly grinning when Miles opened the door. He proffered a loaf of bread. “Hey, kid,” he greeted. “I, uh, kinda realized we hadn’t talked about what would be the best thing to bring, so I improvised.”

”No worries, you didn’t have to bring anything,” Miles accepted the gift and held the door open for his friend.

”Aunt May made sure that I will never forget to bring something whenever I’m invited to dinner. Always said it was just good manners.” Peter replied, glancing around Miles’ apartment. It was warmly lit, the atmosphere inviting.

”You must be Peter,” Miles barely stopped himself from jumping as his dad appeared suddenly.

”Yep, that’s me,” Peter shook his hand with a wry smile. “Pleasure to meet you, Officer Davis.”

Miles couldn’t help but feel that he was in an episode of _The Twilight Zone._ He was observing two very different parts of his life colliding. It was seriously weird watching his parents meet his unofficial spider-mentor, maybe even weirder than watching Peter acting all formal.

His mom appeared from the kitchen soon after his dad, beaming brightly as she enthusiastically shook his hand. “We were so surprised and excited to hear that Miles had met his Left,” She said as she accepted the bread from her son. “I’m dying to know how you two met.”

”Well, it’s actually kinda an interesting story,” Peter laughed, glancing at Miles. “We met at a cemetery.”

Ah, yes, this would be the part where they twisted the truth a bit.

”A cemetery? Didn’t think you were gonna say that,” Jefferson commented as they all sat down to eat.

”Yeah, not really the place you’d expect to meet your soulmate. I was just visiting my aunt’s grave, and I saw Miles standing a few rows over by himself. It was getting pretty late in the day, so I didn’t really want to leave when there was a possibly upset kid standing alone in the snow.”

”He creepily snuck up behind me,” Miles chuckled. “Looking back I was kinda distracted, so I didn’t notice him until he poked me in the shoulder and said ‘Hey, kid.’”

”Your son packs quite the punch,” Peter grinned. “I guess I should’ve known to stay back a little, maybe call out like a normal person. He socked me right in the gut.”

”So then I asked him who he was, and we both kinda just realized we had said each other’s words,” Miles finished. “We weren’t really sure what to do, so we went and hung out at this crappy burger joint.”

”Hey, it was not crappy. That was pretty fine dining if you ask me.”

”Says the guy who lost his wallet and couldn’t pay,” Miles smirked.

”I paid you back eventually!” 

Rio and Jeff exchanged a glance as Miles and Peter went back and forth like they had known each other for a lifetime.

Rio smiled softly, and Jefferson couldn’t quite help but slowly return the gesture.

”Anyway,” Miles said, still fighting a smile. “That’s how we met. He helps me with some of my Chemistry homework sometimes, and we basically just hang out at a crappy diner when we get some time off.”

”It’s quite the story,” Rio chuckled. She glanced at Peter with an interested look. “Have you lived in New York your whole life?”

”Yep, I grew up in Queens. I work at the Bugle these days.”

”Oh, you’re a reporter?”

”Nope, I work on internal affairs. Y’know, making sure Mr. Jameson doesn’t blow a fuse every other hour. That sorta thing.”

”He does seem like a pretty temperamental man. Never has anything good to say about the new Spider-Man.” Officer Davis frowned. 

”Nope,” Peter purposefully didn’t react, eyes fixed on his plate as he cut through the flavorful chicken. “You’d hope he’d cut the new guy some slack. Seems pretty heroic to me. Still, gotta pay the bills I guess.” 

Miles smiled behind his glass.

———

“Well, it’s just been so lovely to meet you, Mr. Watson,” Miles’ mom smiled as Peter stepped toward the door.

”Thank you, Ms. Morales,” He grinned in response. “I’m glad I finally got to meet Miles’ family. The food was fantastic.”

”You feel free to come over whenever you like. Miles’ friends are always welcome here.”

”I’ll walk you outside,” Jefferson stated casually, holding the door open.

Miles and Peter’s eyes locked for a split second. Miles shrugged one shoulder helplessly.

_Good luck with that._

”Alright,” Peter agreed evenly as the two stepped into the hallway. “See you around, bud,” He waved to Miles.

”See you,” Miles winced as he closed the door. He did not want to consider what his father and mentor could possibly be discussing.

The two strolled to the end of the corridor, pausing in front of a window. Peter waited for Jeff to speak, already having a feeling about what he would say.

”I’m gonna be honest with you, Peter,” Jefferson said as they stared out the window. “I like you. A lot. You seem like the kind of person who has seen some struggles in life, but came out on top.”

Peter blinked in surprise. Ok, he hadn’t been expecting _that._

”I can tell Miles likes you a lot, too,” Jeff continued. “He’s... a very compassionate kid. When he decides he cares about someone, he’ll stick to them like glue. I already see that he cares a great deal for you.”

”I care about him too,” Peter said softly, staring out the window. “He’s brought a lot of happiness in the short amount of time I’ve known him.”

”It’s my job to make sure that he _stays_ happy,” Officer Davis turned to look at him. Peter held his gaze steadily.

”In some ways, I guess that job is also yours now, too,” He said. “I want Miles to have positive role models, and people he can rely on in life. Looking at you, I can tell you’re a good person. But I can also tell that there’s something you and Miles aren’t telling me.”

Peter kept his face impassive. “There’s been some interesting twists and turns happening for both of us,” He admitted. “We’ve both been going through a lot of change.”

”Miles is at the point in his life where he decides what kind of person he is aiming to be,” Jefferson acknowledged. “I can’t decide that for him. I _can_ ask and make sure that his Left is just as invested in his success as his mom and I are.”

”I am invested. One-hundred percent. Now, I’m not here to try and be his number one role model,” Peter cracked a grin. “So far, I’ve mostly been the example of what _not_ to do. And I make sure I tell him that, when my past decisions come up. I try to help him see what I screwed up at, so that he doesn’t make the same mistakes.” He paused, considering. “I don’t think he really needs my advice, in some ways. The kid has a solid moral code. He’s unbelievably smart, too. I...just want to be there as someone he can lean on when the going gets tough.”

”I understand,” Officer Davis replied. “I’m not trying to be...hostile. I just need to make sure you and I are on the same page here.”

”Yep, we are. I, um, am very thankful to have Miles as my soulmate. He showed up when I needed him the most. He’s helped me _a lot._ ” Peter paused, smiling gently as he thought of his protégé. “Your son honestly has become one of the most important people in my life.”

The corner of Jefferson’s mouth turned up.

Now that was pretty damn convincing.

”I’m proud to call him my son. And I’m glad that he’s finally found his friend,” He offered his hand.

Peter shook it firmly, nodding solemnly. “Thank you. Believe me, _I’m_ glad to have finally found _him._ ”

———

Miles considered climbing outside to try and snoop on their conversation outside the window, but his attempt was quickly thwarted as his mother enlisted his help with cleanup.

His dad came back in with a smile pretty soon, so he took that to he a good sign.

Later, he grabbed his PUP-O device, typing a quick message to Peter.

_’How’d you think it went?’_

_’Better than I expected. They didn’t seem completely horrified by me.’_

Miles bit his lip anxiously as he typed his next question. _’Did dad say anything weird?’_

_’Nope. Just wanted to make sure I’m not gonna make you do drugs or something.’_

Miles’ eyes bugged out. _’WHAT?’_

_’I’m kidding. He just was double checking that I have your best interests in mind when it comes to role-modeling and all that.’_

_’Ugh. Do most people’s parents do this when they introduce them to their soulmate?’_

_’Mine didn’t.’_

Miles’ jaw dropped as he let out an incredulous laugh. _’Whoa. That is some dark humor right there.’_

_’Yep. Look at that, Spider-Man can be edgy too.’_

_’Spider-Man can low key be a pain in the ass.’_

_’Spider-Man is one to talk. Personally, I think Spider-Man is better than him.’_

Miles snorted at their ridiculous texts. _’Nah. Spider-Man ain’t got nothing on Spider-Man.’_

_’Highly debatable. I could provide tons of evidence showing exactly why Spider-Man completely outshines Spider-Man.’_

_’This is completely ridiculous.’_

_’Yep, sure is.’_

There was a moment where neither of them sent anything. Then...

_‘Spider-Man loves you.’_

Miles felt warmth fill his heart, glancing at his rosy soul mark as he typed a reply.

_’Spider-Man loves you too.’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -I seriously hope that I am doing everyone’s character justice. I’ve seen ITSV like a million times, so hopefully I am writing the characters believably!
> 
> -This fic is like 100% self-indulgent. I’m just here for the fluff. The other fic I’m working on is kinda angsty (for me at least lol) so I’m just gonna fill this one up with all that tooth-rotting goodness.
> 
> -Surprise surprise, I was inspired by the Rhino fight in Spider-Man: Miles Morales when writing their little confrontation at the beginning of this chapter. I just really needed a villain who could throw something big, so I picked Rhino.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is the tiniest mention of what might possibly be considered suicidal thoughts at one point in this chapter. Please let me know in the comments if you want me to specify a specific skipping point. Always happy to make sure everyone is staying safe <3

It was a bitterly cold Tuesday night when Peter invited Miles to experience his first ever spider-stakeout. It really wasn’t the ideal time of year for said stakeout, as New York’s winters were anything but hospitable. Miles went anyway, agreeing to watch over the “bar” that clearly had some not-so-legal—possibly Hammerhead-related— goings-ons.

”So how much longer do you think we have before we turn into actual popsicles?”

”Probably another hour, give or take. They’ll surely come out before then.” Peter adjusted his position, wincing at the tension in his back. “Make sure you move around every once in a while. Don’t need your muscles getting stiffened up from sitting still for so long.”

”I thought the whole point of this was _staying_ still,” Miles complained even as he rotated his shoulders and wiggled his feet.

”They’re not gonna see us. Look at those two. Do they honestly seem very bright to you?” Peter gestured at the two guards below.

“Pretty sure the guy on the left might be asleep standing up. Who knows, though? Maybe they’ll surprise us and rub their two braincells together to realize we’re up here.”

”Cautious forethought. I like it. Keep having those smarty thoughts, it’ll save you a bunch of hassle in the future.”

The two had taken up their posts on the narrow ledge of a building’s decorative architecture, observing the entrance to the shady establishment below. The shadow from the next building over did a decent job of ensuring the light did not highlight Peter’s bright red and blue suit. Miles’ more muted suit was proving to be a better get-up overall for this outing.

”Bet you’re glad I told you to wear your insulated suit. You _are_ wearing it, right?”

”Yeah. Doesn’t feel like it’s making much of a difference, though. I’m still freezing my butt off.”

”Trust me kid, it’s different. You ever try swinging in summer spandex during a blizzard?”

”No, and I don’t intend to. I don’t think I ever really considered the fact that being Spider-Man is such an outdoors job.”

”You get used to it.” Peter paused, nudging into Miles’ side a bit more. They were already pressed shoulder-to-shoulder, trying to maintain and steal a little body heat. The older spider rolled up his left sleeve, glancing at the sullen blue words that met him. “Wow, you’re so cold your mark’s turning blue!”

Miles rolled his eyes at the joke. ”I’m _fine._ Pretty sure you can’t tell your soulmate’s temperature by their mark color.” 

”Yeah, I know.” Peter chuckled. “You OK, though? Usually you’re giving off more vibrant colors than this.”

”Just tired,” Miles mumbled. He hesitated. “What color _is_ my mark most of the time?”

”Tough question. It changes a lot. I’d say mostly shades of green or yellow.”

”Huh.” Miles glanced at his mentor out of the corner of his eye. “Yours is mostly blue these days. Kinda like it was when I was way younger.”

Peter’s lenses tilted towards Miles. He didn’t say anything for a long moment. “It’s a nice color,” he decided on finally.

”Yeah. It wasn’t always like that though. Y’know, I could...tell that... something happened. When I was ten.”

His mentor shifted uncomfortably. “’Lotta ‘somethings’ happened around then, bud,” Peter gave a quiet chuckle. It sounded hollow to Miles’ ears. 

”I worried about you a lot,” The younger spider blurted out before he could stop himself. “I mean, you were grey for so long, I just- You seemed like you were in a lot of pain.”

Peter stared down at the snow-covered street. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

Miles waited with baited breath. This was unknown territory for him. Peter had heard his fears before, his insecurities and pains. His mentor had never really pried _himself_ open before, though. This was going to be tough.

”You...ever talk to anyone about it?” Miles asked softly after Peter didn’t say anything else.

”No. Well, I mentioned some of it in passing with MJ. I mean there’s nothing really to say. It, uh, was just a rough patch in my life.”

”Peter, my mark got progressively darker and darker for _four years._ I would argue that it wasn’t ‘nothing.’”

“A lot of stuff just happened at once, OK? Aunt May died, and it wasn’t working out with MJ, and being Spider-Man was just getting worse and worse- It all just suddenly came to a head, and I couldn’t handle it.” Peter took a shaky breath, not looking at his friend. “But I _had_ to handle it, because there wasn’t any other choice. I mean, there was, but- you know.”

Miles’ heart ached at his words. “Did you...have anyone to lean on? When it all happened?” Miles asked so softly Peter could barely hear him.

”No, not really...” Peter stared across the horizon, his mask frustratingly blocking his face. Not that Miles really needed to read his expressions. “It was just me, and Spider-Man, and all the terrible decisions that had led me there. The results weren’t, uh, very pretty.”

”I’m sorry,” Miles breathed quietly. There was a long moment of silence, and Peter shrugged, about to blow the whole thing off, before his mentee interrupted the stifling quiet again.

“I thought about you. _A lot._ No one really wanted to tell me that my soulmate was hurting. But I knew. And I never stopped looking for you.” Miles cracked a sad smile under his mask, gazing across the street. “I used to put my hand on your words and try to communicate telepathically, or something. Trying to reach out and talk.” He stopped himself, frowning as he remembered the sleepless nights spent staring at his mark. “I mean, obviously that kinda thing doesn’t work- but I just...wished I could help.”

Peter was quiet for so long, Miles started to wonder if he would speak at all. Then, the older spider surprised him by laying a hand on his shoulder. “Thank you,” He breathed in a hoarse voice, the lenses of his mask unsteady.

Miles blinked in surprise, staring at his mentor with a tightening throat.

”I stopped believing in marks after MJ left,” Peter muttered, the confession burning at him. “I didn’t want to look at either of mine. I mean, what would have been the point of staring at empty words that would ultimately mean _nothing?_ The most important relationship in my life failed spectacularly, even though we were supposedly _made_ for each other. So I _gave up._ ” His fingers tightened on Miles’ arm slightly. “But then I met you, and God, kid, you pulled me right out of the pit. You brought meaning and _hope_ back into my life. Everything started to make sense again, and I felt really _alive_ for the first time in years.”

Peter bowed his head, his next words full of sorrow. “You’ve given all of that to me, and all I’ve given you is pain from watching my mistakes show up on your mark...I’m so sorry you had to shoulder all my burdens. That wasn’t something you should have ever been saddled with.”

”You haven’t given me pain,” Miles forced his voice to be steady. “These past few months have been the most exciting time of my life. You might think everything we went through those first few days didn’t matter, but it did. You gave _me_ hope, too. Even when I felt like there was none, when I had lost Uncle Aaron, and fulfilling my promise to the other Spider-Man seemed impossible.

“You’ve been teaching me everything you know ever since! I know I give you lots of crap, and annoy the hell out of you, but it’s because I like you.” He drew in a sharp breath. “I’ve _always_ wanted you, even before I knew you. Even the parts that you might think aren’t perfect. So yeah, I would be willing to go through all that worrying again if it meant I got you as a soulmate. Because in the end, you were more than worth it to me. Always will be.”

Peter took a soft, shaky breath. “Jesus, kid.”

Miles leaned back a little, anxiety beginning to tug at him. “What? Was that..too much? I just thought-“

” _No._ I’m just- wondering what _on earth_ I did to deserve you.” 

”Oh- Oh. I’m not all that great, y’know,” Miles said sheepishly. “I’ve got plenty of faults.” He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. “I’m just reminding you that you’re important, and that it’s OK if your life was messy and painful, or- or still is. I want to be there for you. Kinda like you’re always there for me.”

”I disagree with that first part. God, I don’t know how to put it in words, but there’s just something about you that- that _sees_ me. Like you don’t even have to try.” Peter stared at Miles with a swirling mix of wonder and affection.

”You wanna know what I see?” Miles asked softly.

”Yes and no,” Peter said. “It’s...nerve-wracking, having someone just... _care_ so unconditionally. But..it’s also the good kind of nerve-wracking?”

Miles nodded slightly, the corner of his mouth turning up a little under his mask. His expression turned serious, a quiet sort of devotion sparking in him. ”I see someone who’s gotta let go of some of his expectations of himself. I also see someone who has to understand that he deserves love in his life.”

”I might not, though,” Peter whispered. “I’ve ruined so many relationships. I don’t want to disappoint you, too.”

”Not possible. I’ve got your back. Through thick and thin.”

Peter exhaled, slumping over a little. He wasn’t sure if it was their soul bond, or if Miles was just some sort of omniscient empath, but _damn,_ this _kid._ This amazing, loyal, loving kid. 

He still wasn’t sure he deserved this sort of devotion, but like _hell_ he wasn’t going to show the same level of acceptance and unconditional _love._

“This probably isn’t the best time to start sobbing like an idiot, right?” Peter managed to croak out.

”Maybe not,” Miles agreed, sending a glance down at the goons below, “But we’re already getting into some pretty deep stuff up here. I wouldn’t blame you.”

Peter laughed at that, shaking his head with a not-so-subtle sniff. “I’ve got your back too, you know. And I’m not gonna leave you, no matter what. I’ll still be tracking you down when I’m too old to swing around in spandex.”

Miles bumped their shoulders together, smiling. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt like Miles did a lot of heart-opening in the last book, so I figured it was high time these two talked about the fact that Peter B. clearly wasn’t doing so great for a long time there.
> 
> Also, I’m finishing this at like 1:30AM so if there’s just straight up glaring mistakes lemme know. I’ll try to read through it again tomorrow.
> 
> Coming at you again with this tooth-rotting disaster of a book lol
> 
> Thanks for reading! :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So yes, I am adding a subplot with some Miles x Gwen. (Can it be a subplot if there really is no plot in the first place? Idk.)
> 
> Main focus of this story is still Miles & Peter. Just wanted to write the shenanigans they would get up to in relation to Miles possibly pursuing a relationship with Gwen.
> 
> Also, first appearance of the spider-fam in this one. Hope I’m doing ‘em justice!
> 
> Enjoy!

”He’s never usually this late.”

”You know how Peter is. Scratch that, how old-ish people are. They never want to check their phones.”

”Dang, he’s not _that_ old. Yet. Pretty sure he knows how technology works.”

”He’s probably asleep.”

”At 4:00 in the afternoon?”

”Yeah. You seen when he decides to pass out? Doesn’t usually get up easy. Might take a lightning strike to wake him. Hey Miles, think you could call in a lightning strike to his apartment?”

”I’m not Thor,” Miles replied, rolling his eyes but grinning nonetheless. “Pretty sure I can’t do much beyond zapping people with my hands.”

”Still pretty jealous of that,” Gwen commented. “Who doesn’t want to be a living taser?”

The group of spiders were gathered on a rooftop in Miles’ dimension today, waiting for Peter B. to join them. It was the bimonthly ‘spider-council’ meeting, generally reserved for semi-serious conversation and check-ins. You know, making sure no one had been beaten to a pulp or was lying about their general state of health via text. (It was also just an extra excuse to visit their friends more often, and fool around after everyone gave a general report of affairs in their world.)

”Maybe we should portal over and check on him.”

”We can’t just pop over and invade his privacy because he shows up late!”

”Y’know, he did mention that Sandman was on the loose over there.”

”He’s fine,” Miles announced above the conversation. “He’s probably wrapped up in some kinda J. Jameson-related disaster at work.” Miles had discreetly glanced at his mark, making a face at the warring acid green and coral colors that seemed to uniquely flourish whenever Peter had a run-in with the Bugle’s cantankerous boss. Seriously. Not even the supervillains triggered this kind of annoyance.

”How do you know? You a telepath now?”

”No, I just got a- feeling.” Miles replied.

”Alright, Mr. Psychic.” The young spider made a face at Ham’s sassy reply.

They were interrupted by the sound of a portal snapping open and shut, Peter stepping through. ”Hey guys,” He waved, a tired grin on his face. “Sorry I’m late. Just escaped what had to be a record-breaking tirade.”

”What took you so long? We were starting to figure you were in a coma or something.”

Peter raised a brow, sending Ham an unimpressed look. “...Nooo? I just got held up at work.”

”Wow, held up?” Gwen couldn’t help but join in the teasing. “That sounds serious. What did they want?”

”Friends with a better sense of humor,” Peter sassed. “But no. Jameson was just being a pain in the ass. Like usual.”

”Hey, that’s exactly what Miles predicted!” Ham said, pointing between them. “You two plan this as a gag or somethin’? If so, I could give you some pointers on better comedic effect.”

”Er, no. I mean, it’s not hard to guess what was going on.” Peter said, staring at Miles.

”And I...may or may not have a bit of an advantage at telling what he’s up to,” Miles admitted. He met Peter’s eyes meaningfully.

They hadn’t really planned out bringing up the whole soulmate thing to the others. Peter caught his gaze and held it for a moment, eventually shrugging nonchalantly. Miles responded with the same gesture.

If his parents and MJ knew, surely it couldn’t hurt if their spider-family was in the know as well.

”Uh, am I the only one wondering why they’re having a telepathic conversation right now?” Gwen asked, looking between the two.

”A-ha! My theory was right!” Ham boasted, smiling triumphantly as he watched Miles and Peter both nod to each other, finally glancing back at them.

”No one’s a psychic. Sorry to disappoint. Miles and I just haven’t really mentioned something that we found out just recently. We, uh, may or may not have realized we’re platonic soulmates a few weeks ago.” Peter informed them, his voice and expression cautiously casual as he sat down on the border of the roof.

There was dead quiet for a few seconds.

”Whoa. Didn’t expect you to say that.” Ham was the first to break the silence, clearly surprised.

”Oh my gosh! That’s so exciting!” Peni gasped, eyes lighting up.

”Cool,” Gwen smiled softly, suspiciously unsurprised.

”Ya didn’t have to tell us if it made you fellas uncomfortable,” Noir observed, fixing the silver lenses of his glasses on Miles.

Miles shrugged. “It’s ok with me,” he said. “We just didn’t really say anything because it’s not like... a big deal? Doesn’t really change anything. We’re still just around to annoy the hell out of each other.”

”Yep,” Peter agreed. “Only difference is we have the flashy equivalent of a mood ring to stalk each other with now.”

Miles stuck his tongue out childishly at his mentor, but smiled. “I mean I don’t even know if any of you guys have soulmates as a thing in your dimensions.”

”Understandable,” Peni nodded. “I guess it hadn’t really occurred to me that soulmates _wouldn’t_ exist.”

”Guess they do if no one’s questioning their reality right now.” Gwen commented mildly.

”Speak for yourself. I’m always questioning reality. Like why does the sun need sunglasses in summer? What is it shielding itself from?” Ham pondered.

”Uh, excuse me, but _what_? First off, that has absolutely nothing to do with the conversation at hand, and second, what the heck are you talking about?”

“You know, the sun! Big firey ball in the sky? What, are you gonna tell me your universe doesn’t have one? I’ve been there, it does!”

”No, I know what the sun is... I just- never mind. I don’t want to know.”

Miles met Peter’s gaze, a slow grin spreading on his face. It seemed that their second unplanned reveal had been pretty successful.

Peter just tilted his head, a sparkle in his eye as he took in the sight of his family.

—

Noir found a moment to speak to the other older spider later on, sitting next to him as the two watched the others heatedly debating whatever nonsensical topic they had moved onto.

”Congratulations on your bond,” The monochrome spider stated softly.

Peter glanced at him in surprise, then nodded. “Thanks. Didn’t really think making a big production about it would be the best choice, so we kept it kinda quiet.”

Noir tilted his head thoughtfully. “I understand. Folks usually either go all out and announce it to the world, or keep it tucked close under their hats. It’s...very rare to see a platonic bond in my dimension. Most people just got a romantic one.”

”Huh. Not very rare in mine.” Peter observed. “I, uh, didn’t expect to get one when I was 23, though. Took us a lot of angst and time to figure it out.”

”You two already had somethin’ unique going before ya did,” Noir replied. “The kid looks up to you.”

“I don’t know about that last part,” Peter smiled. “But I think we’re both glad to have each other. And all of this.” He gestured to the group at large. “None of us met under the best circumstances, but I think it’s turned out pretty well in the end.”

Noir thought of the literal and figurative color that had bloomed into his depressing, difficult life. He and Peter both had an understanding of the profound, transformative changes that their team had brought to their strenuous lives. Finding all of them had eased the persistent pain that had built up for both spiders over decades.

The black and white spider nodded. “Not gonna disagree with you there.” 

———

The next time they all saw each other, it was only a few days later. The gang decided to have a movie night in Peni’s dimension.

”Ok, how many of you have seen any of the Tomb Invader movies before?” Pen asked, bobbing about as she fiddled with the tech powering the screen.

”Uh, no one, I’m pretty sure,” Peter called as he kicked his legs up onto the arm of his chair.

”I haven’t been to the pictures in a while,” Noir admitted. “So I’m not the best fella to ask.”

”I’m guessing it’s like Indiana Jones?” Miles suggested.

”Ah, you mean the ones starring that porcupine fellow? Those are great!” Ham called, oblivious to the expressions exchanged after his comment.

”I think there’s been some Tomb _Raider_ stuff in my universe,” Gwen shrugged. “Sounds sort of similar. I don’t think it was a movie, though.”

”Well, in _my_ universe it’s one of the greatest movie franchises ever,” Peni explained, pulling up the menu for the film. “I think you’ll like it.”

”Even if we don’t we’ll pretend we do.” Peter folded his arms behind his head.

_”Peter!”_

”What? Hey, at least I’m honest.”

Peni went to turn off the lights, and everyone squeezed in on the brightly hued furniture. Her lab really was the best place for movie night, the high-tech screen and sound system making it feel like a genuine theater.

Miles ended up being sandwiched between Noir and Gwen, a fact that made him feel a bit of nervous anticipation. He glanced at Gwen, giving an awkward grin as the room was plunged into semi-darkness.

”I’ll try not to fall asleep,” Gwen mumbled tiredly, leaning further back into the plushness of the couch. The light from the screen illuminated the dark circles under her eyes. “I’ve been kinda busy lately.”

”Sorry,” Miles replied sympathetically. He knew that her universe’s Green Goblin had been very problematic as of late, preventing Spider-Woman from getting much rest. Miles leaned back too, trying to ignore the fact that their shoulders were pressed into each other.

The movie turned out to be pretty good. As the title suggested, it was an action adventure, the main heroine searching for a long-forgotten relic. There was lots of betrayal, running, traps, and explosions. Miles thought it was pretty solid.

He was quickly distracted from the flick when he felt a weight nudge into his shoulder. The young spider’s eyes widened as he realized Gwen _had_ fallen asleep. The only problem was that her head’s current residence was his shoulder.

Miles felt himself start to blush at the contact. He hadn’t quite been able to stomp down on his crush. Their friendship had grown, and with it he had found it harder and harder to ignore his embarrassing feelings toward her.

Miles discreetly glanced at the others. Noir, who sat next to him, was not paying him any attention, transfixed by the movie. Peni was on his other side, the spectacle obscured from her, and Ham and Peter were across the room.

This was _fine._ He just had to play it cool. Stay perfectly still and not move a muscle. No one had even noticed-

There was the slightest movement in the corner of his eye, and his gaze locked with Peter’s.

_Crap._

His mentor was staring right at him, a smirk growing on his face. He wiggled his eyebrows when he met Miles’ gaze. Miles sent him a _look,_ shaking his head as slowly as possible. Gwen shifted slightly, and Miles froze again. He tried to fight a blush as he glanced back at Peter, raising a finger to his lips.

Peter bit his lip, trying to suppress his broadening grin as he reached into a pocket. Miles’ eyes widened to saucers as he registered the phone in his hand.

 _No!_ He mouthed at Peter, glaring in full force at him.

Peter lifted a finger to his left ear, shaking his head and mouthing _What? Can’t hear you,_ in response.

So. Miles was left with an ultimatum. Try to stop him from taking the picture and draw attention to the situation (likely ticking off Gwen in the process), _or_ let his friend preserve permanent evidence of his and Gwen’s accidental cuddle session.

He decided that alerting everyone in the room to their situation would probably result in more embarrassment than Peter hassling only him about it later.

Miles shot his mentor a rather rude gesture as the older spider silently snickered, pocketing his phone again. Peter held a hand to his chest, sending Miles a look of mock offense.

At least the flash hadn’t gone off.

———

”So, you and Gwen seemed pretty cozy.”

”Oh God. I’m gonna kill you.” Miles glared at the older spider. The two were crouched on the roof of Peter’s apartment building, about to head out on patrol.

”I mean, I figured it was pretty inevitable and all-“

”Ugh, Peter! She just happened to fall asleep on my shoulder, ok? There’s nothing going on!”

”Oh, really? ‘Nothing going on,’ huh? Is _that_ why my mark lit up like a beautiful, rosy Christmas tree?”

Miles groaned, facepalming. “C’mon, man. Gwen was really tired. She didn’t do that on purpose. I was just- you know, kinda surprised!”

”Mark doesn’t lie, kiddo. You were more than just _surprised_.” Peter poked Miles’ shoulder. “You seemed _pre_ -tty star-struck to me.”

”Ughhh.” He tilted his head back, staring at the crisp blue sky above. “It doesn’t matter. That’s not- relevant. You know what _is_ relevant, though?” Miles faced him again, voice accusing. “The fact that you have a picture of me that I adamantly protested to you taking. Give me your phone.”

Peter put a hand to his chin, pretending to think hard. “I didn’t hear any _adamant_ protests from you,” He said, eyes narrowing as he gazed at the sky. “In fact, I didn’t _hear_ any protests!”

”What? Oh, no, you are _not_ serious-“

”You didn’t say anything, actually,” Peter continued, fighting back a smirk. “In fact, I’d say you looked pretty happy about me taking a friendly photo of you and Gwen. You know, I am a professional photographer-“

”I am _actually_ going to kill you.”

Peter cracked at that, laughing with a gleam in his eye that was as endearing as it was irritating. “Ok, ok. How about this. I’ll make you a deal.”

”A deal? What? To get that blackmail off your phone?”

”Not _blackmail!_ Who ever said anything about blackmail? Did you hear me make any threats?” He was back at it with the dramatic poses, holding his hand to his chest in offense.

”No, but knowing you, you were probably about to threaten to send it to the group chat or something.”

”It might have crossed my mind.” Miles folded his arms, raising a brow at him. “But that’s beside the point. My offer is this: I will delete the photo if- and only _if_ \- You consider actually doing something about your painfully obvious feelings for Ms. Stacy.”

Miles’ expression turned incredulous, then darkened. “That’s not gonna happen.” He replied with a scowl. He paused, realizing he hadn’t denied the implication that he _did_ have feelings for Gwen. “I mean, obviously it’s not gonna happen, because we are _friends!_ Gwen is my friend, and that’s all there is to it.”

”Uh-huh. Ok. Is that why you always start acting weird every time she gets close to you? Is that why you get the cutest wittle blush when she compliments you, or even just looks at you?”

Miles’ frown dissipated somewhat, replaced by a rather miserable expression. “No. I just- I don’t know, ok? She obviously doesn’t feel anything beyond friendship for me. That’s not- we’re not...compatible like that.”

Peter’s eyes softened at his mentee’s words. “Are you really sure about that?” He asked in a gentler tone. “‘Cause I’ve seen the way _she_ looks at you, bud. I’m pretty sure the feelings might be more mutual than you think.”

Miles gave a humorless huff. “It doesn’t matter. You were there at the collider. We agreed to just be friends. Plus-“ He stopped himself.

”Plus?”

”We’re...not bonded. That’s kinda a big deal to some people.”

”Is it a big deal to you?”

”No, but I don’t have a right mark. Which means I’m probably going to have to look for someone who doesn’t have one either. You know how that goes. No one wants to be in a relationship if they have a mark, and you don’t match it.”

”I don’t think that’s true. There’s a pretty substantial percentage of the population that doesn’t have a right mark. They still have relationships.”

”Usually with other blanks,” Miles reminded him solemnly. “It generally doesn’t work out too well for people if they just ignore this kind of thing.”

”I’d disagree,” Peter responded. “I’ve known couples that didn’t match up. They all seemed pretty damn happy to me.”

”Sure. But the majority of the world doesn’t think like that. So... No, I’m not going to do anything.”

”Oh come on, kid. You’re going to let one dumb mark get in the way of this?” Peter’s gaze was imploring. He didn’t like seeing Miles like this. The kid looked downright _defeated._

”It’s just one of many reasons,” Miles replied in resignation. “And also, look who’s talking.”

”We were already besties before we knew,” Peter joked. “Besides, have you actually seen her wrist? Maybe she doesn’t have one either.”

”No, but I don’t need to. She keeps it wrapped up when we’re not in our suits. Besides, she’s _Gwen._ How could she not get a soulmate?” 

”Not a very healthy attitude,” Peter lectured, raising a brow at Miles. “By that logic, people without a mark don’t deserve love.”

”No, I don’t mean _that._ I just mean that she’s too...good for me.” His eyes flickered to the buildings in the distance.

”Strongly disagree. You two make a pretty good team. _And_ you’re underselling yourself. You wanna know what I think?”

”You’ll tell me even if I say I don’t want to know.” Miles shrugged, smiling a tiny bit despite himself.

”True. I think that you’re not gonna really know until you try.”

”I did try!” Miles insisted. “Kinda. Back when we met.”

”That...wasn’t the best time to try. Too much going on. Plus I think your relationship has shifted a little since then. You know, gone from ‘Who the hell are you,’ to ‘Hey, it’s my competent and charming friend who I’m starting to see in a new light.’ I’ve seen these things before, bud. Watching you two kinda reminds me of what MJ and I went through.”

Miles glanced at him, unable to hide his curiosity.

”We met in highschool, but we didn’t really realize the fact that we were soulmates until years later. It was pretty complicated. Essentially, we ran into each other, both sort of recognized that we had said each other’s words but didn’t think it was the right person, didn’t speak for all of high school, _actually_ met right around graduation, got mixed up in all kinds of spider-shenanigans, then fell in love. Then bingo, whaddya know, we actually were soulmates all along, blah blah, you know the rest.”

”Jeez, what a romantic way of putting it,” Miles sent his mentor an unimpressed look. “And also, that’s- not really similar?”

”Sure it is. We started out as friends and eventually decided to be a couple.” Peter waved his hands about unhelpfully, gesturing vaguely to emphasize his point.

”No, I mean, you guys were already _meant_ to be together.” Miles stared down at his own hands, allowing a few tiny sparks to dance between his fingertips.

”Didn’t stop us from getting divorced.” Peter’s expression dropped.

That was met with a cringe. “You still got back together eventually.”

Peter nodded, pursing his lips. ”We’re working at it. But I think that just goes to prove my point further. You can be bonded and still have lots of problems. Society tries to make everything black and white, and it’s really not. Soulmates can be unhappy, and non-soulmates can fall in love with different people. It gets into your head that going outside the ‘norms’ is bad, or wrong, but sometimes it’s not. Definitely not in this case.

”So, to conclude my long rant, don’t be afraid to take a chance, kid. You could even say it’s a-“

”Don’t say it-“

”-Leap of faith,” Peter grinned, bumping into Miles affectionately. “I don’t think anything terrible will happen if you happen to casually invite Gwen on a friendly outing.”

”What if she says no? Then it’ll be all awkward and stuff.”

”Nah. You just tell her it’s fine and act casual about it. Then you can come over and consume an ungodly amount of pizza. Makes for a pretty good stress relief.”

”Oh yeah, that just _fills_ me with confidence,” Miles groaned. He pointed a finger at his mentor, scowling again. “Don’t think I forgot how this conversation started, either. I still want those photos gone.”

”Only if you promise that you’ll stop doubting yourself about this. You are more than worthy of pursuing something that could make both of you happy.” Peter’s gaze had a solemn weight to it. It was the kind of look he could give that made the younger spider feel... _seen._ Like his mentor’s gaze was boring right into his soul. It was fitting, he supposed, given their connection.

Miles sighed, staring at Peter for a moment, before rolling his eyes and twisting his mouth to the side. “Fine. I promise. But I’m only _considering_ doing anything about it right now.”

”That satisfies me!” Peter beamed, ruffling Miles’ hair before the teen could dodge. Miles swatted him off, sending him an undignified look.

”Let’s see you delete those photos now.”

”Aw, you sure? I was really thinking about making it into my wallpaper-“

”Peter!”

”Alright, alright.” He swiped through his phone, holding the screen between them as he deleted the photos. “Aww. You’re blushing again just looking at the two of you,” He gave Miles a wide smirk.

He probably deserved the not-so-gentle punch in the arm that he received. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty sure Peter was rooting for Miles and Gwen in the movie. Idk, saying stuff like “That was adorable, team!” during the collider fight just keyed me in on that LOL
> 
> Just like last time, I will probably edit a bit more later, because I am posting this at 1AM and there’s probably some mistakes.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Btw, I get any Spanish lines through Google translate. Yep...toTalLy reliable. I really hope the phrasing is correct.
> 
> This chapter has poisoning and brief mentions of drugs, though the drug reference is an antidote. I didn’t write any descriptions of needles or anything. Also, there are brief mentions of blood and injury. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“Wooo! Tendrás que hacerlo mejor que eso!” Miles taunted, flipping backwards from his enraged enemy’s attack.

”The little spider thinks he’s being smart, eh?” Scorpion snarled, tail thrashing in irritation as Miles fired webbing at his mechanical legs. Despite his hostility, it was apparent that he was close to being beaten. Apparently he hadn’t gotten the memo that the new Spider-Man was _not_ easy pickings. “Acercáte! Try that again and see what happens!”

”I’m good,” Miles said, swinging into the rafters of the warehouse they were fighting in as Scorpion slashed through his webbing with his tail and rushed him. “Now all I need to finish up here is a _big_ can of Raid.” He dived toward his enemy, performing a swing-kick and narrowly avoiding the stinger aimed at him. His feet collided with Scorpion’s jaw, knocking the villain down roughly.

Miles landed in a crouch a few feet away, swiveling to quickly fire a slew of webs over Scorpion’s prone form. He dusted his hands off, grinning in satisfaction.

First Sandman on Monday, now Scorpion on Thursday. He was on a roll this week.

Miles perked up as he heard the sound of approaching sirens. Clearly their destructive fight had caught the attention of the police. He should probably let them deal with the incapacitated villain from here. Scorpion had been causing more than enough problems in the city as of late, and Miles would be relieved to know that he was safely in a cell.

The young spider turned, glancing up at the ceiling above him. There was a hole he should be able to web-launch out of. Miles bent into a crouch, preparing to soar into the night, when all of a sudden, his spider-sense _screamed._ He tried to leap out of the way, but his attacker still managed to strike his target.

Miles gasped as red-hot pain stabbed into his right shoulder from behind, staggering at the cruel piece of sharpened metal piercing into his body. His vision whited out briefly, before it returned with the roaring pain.

”What’s the matter?” Scorpion managed to cackle behind him, wrenching his tail free of Miles’ shoulder. The pain from having the weapon yanked free sent Miles to his knees this time. “Did no one ever tell pequeña araña not to turn his back in a fight?”

Miles pulled himself to his feet with a choked gasp, vision blurring slightly as he spun to face his enemy. He didn’t even bother to answer as he fired two more webs at him, mercilessly sending a venom strike down the conductive webs and straight into his enemy. Scorpion convulsed with a groan, passing out.

Miles laid a hand on top of his shoulder, groaning as his fingers barely brushed the hole in his back. It hadn’t gone completely through him. He was in too much pain to consider that as a mercy.

”Gotta get outta here...” Miles gasped to himself, trying to pull out of the waves upon waves of agony now traveling from his shoulder to the rest of his back. He forced himself to focus back on the hole in the roof, suppressing a yell of pain as the action of swinging away exacerbated his bloody wound.

He got to the next building over before the pain became unbearable, and he crashed into the roof, tumbling clumsily over the rough gravel of the rooftop. Miles felt like he might bite through his tongue from how hard he had to clench down his teeth to prevent himself from screaming.

This was bad. Scorpion was bad. Having gaping wounds in your back was very, very bad.

Miles sat up, shaking his head as his vision blurred. Against his better judgement, he tugged away his mask, letting it fall to his lap as he scrubbed his left hand over his face.

He needed to get back to his dorm, he realized desperately. The idea of traveling that distance made what little blood was left in his face drain away.

He _couldn’t_ go there, though, because how would he deal with any of this? It wasn’t like he could stitch himself up, and asking Ganke to deal with a wound this serious seemed cruel and impractical. The gash was bleeding steadily, a horrible burning sensation slowly spreading out from it.

Miles’ eyes widened as a coherent thought managed to get through the haze of his anxiety. Poison. Scorpion had poison in his tail.

His hands fell to his lap as he knelt on the roof, breath ragged. Miles tried to force himself to think.

Ok, options, options...

His first instinct was to find his mother for help, the feeling solidified into his mind after a childhood of having her treat every injury he could have obtained. His mom always knew how to deal with any medical problem, from a tiny cold to a broken arm.

That wouldn’t work, though.

There was a reason for that, but Miles couldn’t quite grasp it as his vision swam dizzyingly. Ok, next option.

His hand landed on his suit’s concealed pocket without him making the conscious decision to do so. Miles extracted his communicator/portal device, the bright white light of the screen burning into his eyes as he stared into it.

Miles’ hands were clumsy as he tried to type a message. He might have been aiming for the group chat at first, but he ended up on his direct conversation with Peter. He was too confused to try and find the other conversation, so he just pulled up the keyboard and started typing.

 _’I kundq messsed up,’_ was the best he could do.

He had to lean over to try and catch his breath for a moment after that, eyes squeezing shut as nausea began to grip him in addition to the burning pain. When he looked back to the screen, there was a message waiting for him.

_’What? What do you mean? Do I need to come over?’_

Miles gasped as white-hot agony seized him in another spasm, trying to focus through it. _’Scorpioonnb’._ He probably hit too many keys on that one, but somehow he couldn’t quite find it in himself to care.

He hit send, then shut his eyes, holding his head and trying to gasp for breath. Miles didn’t pay attention to the world outside his pain, not noticing the sound of a portal snapping open and the footsteps approaching him. He nearly yelled in surprise when someone’s hand suddenly touched his uninjured shoulder.

”Miles? Miles? Oh God.”

Miles let out a yelp of pain as Peter’s other hand gently touched the skin beneath the wound in his back. He pulled his hand away immediately, muttering a quick apology and opting instead to grab Miles around the waist and pull him to his feet.

”Poison, I think it’s poison,” Miles choked out.

”I know. Come on,” Peter said gently yet urgently, pulling the younger spider through the portal. The swirling colors made Miles’ head spin even more, and upon coming out on the other side, he threw a hand over his mouth, hunching over.

”Crap. Here,” Peter webbed a wastebasket over and shoved it into Miles’ hands just before he vomited up his dinner. He groaned pathetically, and would have sunk back to his knees if Peter hadn’t helped him sit down on his bed.

”Miles, I need you to sit very still, alright? No more moving.” Peter’s voice sounded slightly panicked.

“Ugh...ok,” Miles mumbled, squeezing his eyes shut. The world around him was bathed in sickly green colors, washing through his vision and body.

”Right.” Peter disappeared from Miles’ line of sight. He wasn’t exactly sure how long he was gone, but it felt like an eternity. Anxiety gripped Miles at the idea of being left alone, and he tried (and failed) to suppress the urge to vomit again.

He was so _tired._ Miles tried to lay down on the soft surface behind him, but let out a cry of pain as the movement immediately made his wound _burn._

Peter reappeared then, hissing through his teeth as he caught sight of the bloodied gash. “You need to lie on your belly,” he told Miles, helping him twist and gently lowering him to the bed. Miles whimpered as the action caused more pain, but shut his eyes as his vision completely blurred.

His mentor immediately set about cutting away the thick, reinforced spandex surrounding the wound. He let out a little yelp when Peter jabbed him with something right next to the gash. “Sorry,” the older spider apologized softly. “You’re gonna be glad I had some of this stuff on hand, though. Just try to relax and keep still.” He gave Miles another shot after that, mumbling something about painkiller.

Miles must have blacked out at some point while Peter was cleaning the wound and giving him stitches, because when he was able to open his eyes again, the older spider was finishing the last of the stitches. At least the burning sensation in his veins seemed to be lessening.

”You’re gonna be ok,” Peter tried to soothe as Miles let out an incoherent groan. “Getting a dose of Scorpion’s venom sucks, believe me, I know. Hence the reason I keep the antidote stocked up.”

Miles turned his head so his left cheek was pressed into the mattress, peering blearily up at his mentor as Peter riffled around for bandaging in his med kit. His eyes locked with Miles’, and he cringed sympathetically. “You might feel pretty crappy for a while, bud. I’ll be right here to help you get through it, though.”

Miles didn’t say anything, his senses slipping in and out of focus. One minute he was certain there were strange voices echoing in the distance, the next there was only Peter talking next to him.

Peter finished wrapping his injury with bandaging, winding it around his shoulder. Miles closed his eyes and just tried to stay still through the process. He couldn’t quite stop a whimper from escaping him as the foggy, disorienting sensation battered his senses, making his head pound.

”What’s this doing to me?” he whispered, his words slurring.

Peter grimaced, hesitating. Theoretically, he could sugar-coat the truth, but Miles deserved to know. “It’s, uh, a neuro toxin. You’ll...probably be sick for a little while. I gave you the antidote, but it takes more time for some of the side effects to go away. You’re not in any danger, just...probably disoriented. And you might start hallucinating.” He wasn’t sure if he would normally describe it so nonchalantly, biting his lip as he remembered the terrible agony and images that came with Scorpion’s sting.

Miles let out a soft groan, squeezing his eyes shut. “Can I lay on my side?”

”Sure,” Peter answered quickly, helping the kid roll over as gently as possible, making sure he laid down on his good side.

”I was such an idiot,” Miles said suddenly, his left hand coming to shield his eyes as he curled in on himself. “I turned my back on him, and then he stabbed me. It’s just- common sense not to do that.”

”I’ve done plenty of things worse than that,” Peter smiled wanly. “It’s hard to be on your guard every minute. You’ll get better at it over time.”

Miles coughed weakly, sitting up again and looking rather green. He covered his mouth with one hand, eyes wide. Peter immediately shoved the garbage can right under his face, and Miles stuck his head in, heaving. He had nothing left to vomit up at this point, but his body seemed adamant on making him suffer.

Peter rubbed gentle circles in his back as Miles groaned, trembling. When he pulled away from the can, Peter could see a glazed look taking over his eyes. They flickered open and shut several times before he focused back on his mentor’s face. “I’m...it’s...” Miles didn’t finish, shaking his head a little as he collapsed back down onto his side.

”Close your eyes,” Peter said, pain gripping him as he suspected what Miles was going through. “Try to even out your breathing.”

Miles’ eyes slid shut, still trembling slightly as he curled up. Peter reached out a careful hand, gently smoothing over Miles’ hair. His eyes found his own left mark, frowning as he witnessed the distorted, sickly mustard color it had taken on.

”I’m here, bud,” he whispered, eyes flickering back to Miles’ pained face. “It’s gonna be ok.”

Miles ended up falling asleep for a little bit, the antidote working steadily. His body was still fighting the poison, though, and the side effects really started to show about half an hour later.

Peter kept a damp washcloth on his head when he started to break into a sweat, keeping a steadying hand on one of Miles’ as he twitched in his sleep. He would need to make sure he drank water through the night, allowing the lingering poison to be flushed out of his system.

He was surprised when the younger spider sat up suddenly about an hour later, staring straight ahead with wide, unseeing eyes. 

”Miles?” Peter asked hesitantly, laying a careful hand on his shoulder. Miles didn’t look at him, still staring blankly into the room before him. Suddenly he flinched violently, gasping and lurching backwards. “No!” he hissed in an angry tone, pressing his back into the wall behind him and narrowing his eyes. He raised his left wrist, aiming a trembling hand at an invisible enemy. “I won’t let you!”

”Miles,” Peter said, going to lean forward into the kid’s line of sight. “Whatever you’re seeing, I promise it’s not real-“

The younger spider suddenly fired his web shooter, the webbing latching onto the wall across from him. Before Peter could properly grab him, Miles pulled on the line, ripping a chunk of wallpaper clean off.

”Ok! That’s- that’s enough of that,” Peter gasped, catching Miles’ wrist and double tapping his web-shooter to release the webbing. “I need you to focus on me, bud. You’re in my apartment. I’m the only other person here. You’re perfectly safe-“

He was cut off again as Miles wrenched his wrist out of Peter’s careful hold, shoving his mentor away with brutal strength. Peter grunted in surprise, stumbling back a step.

Miles was busy crawling further back to the other side of the bed, panting and staring at Peter with narrowed eyes. He got off the mattress, standing on shaky legs and backing away further. “I won’t let you. Not this time,” he hissed, fixing Peter with a venomous gaze.

Peter held up his hands placatingly, remaining where he was standing. “Alright, alright. It’s ok, Miles. You’re hallucinating. I’m not going to hurt you.” He wasn’t sure what else to say, knowing that his words alone would likely not convince his friend.

Miles stared at him, his gaze turning confused for a moment before he suddenly stiffened again, craning his neck to look behind him and gasping.

”No,” he breathed, turning to face the corner more fully and backing away from the perceived threat. “Please, no.”

Peter took the opportunity to approach him slowly, walking around the bed and inching closer. Miles had turned his back, shivering and sweating as he unconsciously backed closer to his mentor. Peter bit his lip, unsure what to do.

”Miles, it’s Peter,” he said softly, trying not to startle him. The younger spider didn’t even seem to notice him this time, staring intently into the shadowy corner. “I’m gonna help you, bud,” Peter continued, reaching out and gently laying his hands on Miles’ shoulders, making sure to keep away from the bandaging.

Miles was so transfixed by whatever he was imagining that he didn’t react to Peter’s touch at first. Upon noticing the presence behind him, however, he tried to jerk away, gasping. His trembling had become more violent, feet unsteady on the floor. “Let me go!” he gasped as Peter kept his grip, gently pulling Miles back into his arms. He tried to struggle for a second, but he was weakening quickly, unable to do much but slump backwards into Peter’s hold.

”I’ve got you,” Peter said, carefully cradling him closer as his strength gave out. “Come back to bed.”

”Peter? They’re- they’re gonna kill us,” Miles whispered, voice broken and terrified as he recognized his mentor.

”No they’re not,” Peter soothed as he gently lifted Miles back into the bed and sat down next to him. “They’re not real. We’re safe. No one’s going to hurt us.”

”You were dead,” Miles said, eyes still unfocused. “I’ve seen you die before. You’re going to die again.”

”No,” Peter stated adamantly, despite pain that gripped him at Miles’ words. “No one’s dying. You’re just sick right now, kiddo. I’m right here. Nothing’s gonna happen to me or you. It’s gonna be ok.” He felt like a broken record, but Miles was clearly still upset and completely disoriented. Better to repeat himself than throw away the possibility of providing any meager comfort he could.

”That’s what he said too...” Miles murmured, eyes sliding shut as his strength gave out.

Peter didn’t want to consider the implications of what that sentence meant. The best he could do in that moment was pull Miles into his arms as he laid down next to him, holding him close and trying to soothe over the fear brought by the venom.

Miles fell into another restless sleep, waking often. Sometimes he would sort of recognize Peter and ask his name questioningly, voice dizzy and tired. Others he would just stare into nothingness, whimpering softly.

Peter did his best to calm him, keeping a gentle yet firm grip on the teen to make sure he didn’t get out of bed again. He ran one hand tenderly through Miles’ hair, murmuring soft words of comfort whenever he stirred.

At one point he decided to get up and find his PUP-O, realizing he should probably tell the others about the situation. While he was at it, he could also quadruple check his calculations on the antidote dosage-

Almost as soon as he had left the bed, Miles groaned, calling out for him.

Peter froze, immediately turning around. ”I’m here,” he quickly reassured as he returned to his injured friend. “Are you ok?”

Miles cracked his eyes open, exhaustion palpable on his face. “Is this over yet?” He creaked out. It was the most coherent thing he had said in hours, and Peter felt relief wash through him at the sign of improvement.

”Yes,” he answered, sending Miles a tired smile. “Just gotta wait a bit longer. The antidote’s working.”

Miles tried to nod, but gave up as soon as it made his vision blur. The fuzziness had less intensity than before, but still slowed his thoughts.

”Just rest,” Peter instructed quietly. “You’ll be better soon.”

Miles eventually fell into a quieter sleep at around 4AM, his skin becoming less clammy and his breathing evening out. Peter was more than relieved, forcing himself to stay awake and watch over him despite his own exhaustion.

He made Miles drink more water when he woke again, feeling relieved when he kept it down. “Think you can eat something?” He asked hopefully.

Miles made a face, but whispered hoarsely, “I’ll try.”

He ended up eating a few crackers, but that seemed to be his limit for the moment. Peter watched him like a hawk as he shut his eyes again, running a hand over his face.

”How bad was I?” Miles asked miserably.

”You started pulling through around 3,” Peter said. “Had some minor incidents before then. But it doesn’t matter. I’m just glad you’re ok.”

”Incidents?” Miles asked confusedly. “I- knew I was having bad dreams, but I can’t really remember anything.”

”That’s best,” Peter replied softly. “I just convinced you to get back in bed, and you were fine.”

”I was running around the apartment? Crap,” Miles cursed weakly.

”Only briefly. And like I said, I didn’t mind helping you back to bed. You were...upset. I was worried about you,” Peter replied, eyes shining with pain.

”I’m sorry,” Miles whispered. “I’ll try not to be an idiot in any more fights.”

Peter smiled weakly at that. “Getting hurt doesn’t make you an idiot. You’re still new to this. I knew you would face challenges like this as soon as you put on that suit. We all do. Sometimes you get pretty banged up along the way.” He glanced at Miles’ shoulder, frowning. “I can’t always be there to watch your back in every fight, but I can damn well try to be there for you if you get hurt. I’m always happy to make sure you get looked after properly.”

Miles blinked tiredly, nodding slightly. “I...know. Just doesn’t help that I made one of the dumbest mistakes you can make with an enemy. I was too confident...”

”You remember that Goblin story I told you?” Peter asked asked softly. Miles murmured an acknowledgement. “Same thing happened to me. He didn’t get me, but I sure as hell wasn’t expecting him to try and impale me like that. I think I learned the very same lesson that day.”

Miles frowned, exhaustion gripping him. “We never get to learn this kinda stuff in a nice way, do we?”

”No, not really,” Peter agreed quietly. “But I have been doing my best to teach you everything I know about this gig. Every crumby detail, every exhilarating success. Although, clearly all my so-called ‘knowledge’ didn’t do you much good last night.”

”It did,” Miles insisted. “You knew what was wrong right away, and you were someone I could call for help. I would’ve been screwed without the antiserum.”

Peter shrugged one shoulder. “Good point. I’m also willing to bet you kicked Scorpion’s butt with all that snazzy combat training we’ve been practicing.”

Miles grinned despite his exhaustion. “Maybe. I do have a pretty good knack for style points when it comes to that.”

”There you go. Maybe I haven’t been a complete failure as a mentor after all,” Peter chuckled.

”Definitely not,” the younger spider replied. “I’ve needed all the help I can get. You just being someone I can lean on was already a big deal. Never mind showing me all the ropes. I appreciate it. Like, a lot.”

“D’aww, you’re gonna make me blush,” Peter sassed, though he was smiling. “Enough of inflating my ego, though. You need to go back to sleep. Don’t think I don’t see your eyelids drooping right before my eyes.”

Miles sent him a pouty look, but didn’t argue as he nestled into the messy blankets. “Everybody’s gonna freak when they find out I was all poisoned up last night,” he commented as he shut his eyes.

”Ooh, yeah,” Peter cringed. “Kinda forgot to tell them. I’ll, uh, give you some time before I do that. Y’know, so we don’t get flooded with visitors.”

”Ok,” Miles mumbled, tucking the lower half of his face under the sheets. “G’night.”

”Sleep well, bud,” Peter replied softly, smiling and allowing himself to rest with the knowledge that Miles was safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
> “Tendrás que hacerlo mejor que eso”- “You’ll have to do better than that.”
> 
> “Acercáte!” - “Come closer.”
> 
> “pequeña araña” - “Little spider.”  
> —
> 
> I don’t know what it is with me this week and Miles getting whumped. Sorry, Miles.
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
